Street-railway switch



(No Model.)

0. E. GROVES.

STREET RAILWAY SWITCH.

Patented Mar. 30, 1897.

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CHARLES E. GROVES, OF ATTIOA, OHIO.

STREET-RAILWAY SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 579,575, dated March30, 1897.

Application filed April 10, 1896. Serial No. 587,020. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES E. GROVES, a citizen of the UnitedStates,residin g at Attica, in the county of Seneca and State ofOhio,have invented a new and useful Street-Railway Switch, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to street railway switches, and has for its objectto provide a simple,inexpensive,and efficient construction andarrangement of parts whereby a switch-' rail may be adjusted to eitheropen or close the side-track without necessitating either stopping thecar or dismounting therefrom.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will appear in thefollowing description, and the novel features thereof will beparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective View of a switch mechanismembodying my invention, the front end of a car mounted upon the trackbeing indicated to show the car mechanism. Fig. 2 is a detail view ofthe car mechanism, showing the contiguous portion of the car-platform insection to show the means for maintaining the carmechanism normally inits operative position. Fig. 3 is a detail view of the switch-railextension and the projection carried thereby and forming the trackmechanism. Fig. iis a detail section showing the car mechanism providedwith a spring for holding it normally elevated,

whereby it must be depressed against the tension of the spring to bringthe cam into operative relation with the track mechanism.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all thefigures of the drawings.

1 designates the main-track rails, 2 the sidetrack rails, and 3 aswitch-rail pivoted to the extremity of the outer side-track rail, as at4. The switch-rail is provided with an extension or arm 5, whichterminates short of the plane of the treads of the rails, as indicatedin Fig. 1, and curves inwardly to the center of the road-bed or to apoint midway between the main-track rails, where it terminates in avertical projection or pin 6, preferably fitted with a horizontalantifriction-roll 7. This constitutes the track mechanism,w11ich isillustrated in the drawings as being entirely exposed, it

being deemed unnecessary to show the means employed for covering andprotecting the extension or arm 5, such means being similar to those nowin use for like purposes.

The car mechanism consists of a vertical spindle 8, mounted for rotaryadjustment upon the dash or othersuitable part of the car and providedat its lower end with a cam con-- sisting of a semicircular plate 9,said plate being adapted, by reason of the rotary adj ustability of thespindle, to be arranged at an inclination either toward or from theouter main-track rail, the latter arrangement being shown in Fig. 1,whereby when the face of the cam strikes the projection or theantifrictionroller carried thereby the extension or arm of theswitch-rail will be moved in the direction indicated by the arrow inFig. 1, and hence the extremity of the switch-rail will be removed fromthe outer main-track rail. An actuating-sprin g 10 is employed inconnection with the spindle to hold the cam normally depressed, and abearing-roll 11 is mounted on the rear or inoperative face of the camand projects slightly below the lower edge thereof to prevent contact ofthe lower edge of the cam with the road-bed. The spring 10, in ad ditionto holding the spindle yieldingly in its depressed or operativeposition, is designed to normally hold the cam in the vertical plane ofthe longitudinal center of the car or in the plane of the direction ofmovement of the car. Hence the normal position of the cam is such as notto affect the track mechanism, and when it is desired to change theposition of the switch-rail the spindle should be turned in onedirection or the other against the tension of the spring by means of thecrank or handle 12.

The advantage in arranging the cam-plate normally in its depressedposition in the plane of the longitudinal center of the car andproviding it with means whereby it may be turned in either directionresides in the fact that it adapts the mechanism for shifting aswitch-rail in either direction by an adjustment of the cam-plateinvolving only the turnin g thereof. The cam-plate is adapted to engagethe same pin to either set or open the switch, and hence by using a carmechanism of the construction described the track mechanism issimplified.

I preferably mount the cam-plate to yield upwardly while normallyoccupying a depressed position, and provided with an antifriction-roll,as described, in order to avoid the necessity, when approaching aswitch, of depressing the cam-plate to its operative position, andinasmuch as the cam-plate is upwardly yielding it is adapted to passover obstructions in the road-bed without injury to the mechanism. Inother words, the car mechanism above described is adapted to move aswitch-rail in either direction, and the only operation necessary toaccomplish either movement is the turning of the camplate to occupy anangular position in one direction or the other, which is simplifying thetask of the operator and at the same time enabling a single cam-plate tobe used in connection with a single switch-pin in order to set theswitchrail in either position.

In Fig. 4 I have shown a slightly-modified arrangement of the parts ofthe car mechanism wherein an actuating-spring 13, which is used in lieuof the spring 10, (shown in Fig. 2,) is employed in connection with thespindle 8, said spring being of the expansion class, to hold saidspindle and the cam-plate 9 elevated out of operative relation with thetrack mechanism. In order to enable the parts to be brought intooperative relation with the track mechanism, I provide a foot-rest ll.It will be understood that the operation of the parts in thisarrangement, in so far as the spindle must be turned to one side or theother to shift the switch-rail as desired, is the same as in theconstruction above described.

Various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details ofconstruction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit l orsacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim is 1. In a switch, thecombination with track mechanism including a laterally-movable pinoperatively connected with the switch-rail, of car mechanism includingan upwardlyyielding eamplate having a vertical axis, and anactuating-spring to normally and yieldingly hold the cam-plate in itsdepressed position and in a plane parallel with the direction ofmovement of the car, whereby the plate may be deflected in eitherdirection from said normal position to engage the pin of the trackmechanism and move the same in either direction, substantially asspecified.

2. In a switch, the combination with a laterally-movable pin operativelyconnected with a switch-rail, of car mechanism having a cam-plateprovided with a vertical spindle, an actuating-spring for yieldinglyholding the cam-plate in a depressed position and in a plane parallelwith the direction of movement of the car, said plate being adapted fordeflection in either direction from its normal position to engage saidpin, and a bearing-roller carried by the cam-plate and projecting belowthe lower edge thereof to encounter and ride over obstructions 011 theroad-bed, substantially as specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES E. GROVES.

\Vitnesses:

CHAS. O. SUTTON, W. S. Fonon.

